After a year 2022 full of hope with the end of the health crisis and the economic recovery driven by recovery plans, 2023 opens with many more concerns for companies. This is the main lesson of the Business Barometer, an exclusive survey carried out every year by Eurogroup Consulting for BFM Business.
The successions of energy, inflationary and political crises push leaders to establish themselves in a position of expectation. According to the survey, 75% of business leaders surveyed say they expect this. Doubt is not necessarily synonymous with inaction. In terms of activity, hiring and investment, companies are showing resilience.
The profitability indicator is the one that shows the greatest drop. “For the first time, the profitability forecasts are very markedly negative (-17)”, we can read. In turn, falls in investment and activity are expected, but with new ones that remain sustained.
Investment in France is holding up better than it did during the 2008 crisis or in 2012. Regarding workforce forecasts, the results are even better. This is by far the indicator that falls the least compared to the others.
Foster employee loyalty
Human resources will be one of the areas particularly monitored by leaders. “More than ever, business leaders are committed to retaining their employees and maintaining some stability in the workforce, in a tight labor market environment,” the study indicates.
Despite the crises, 67% of managers consider their teams “very mobilized”. HR priorities are retaining (87%), rather than hiring (62%) employees, a sign of persistent tensions in the labor market but also of phenomena such as silent abandonment.
Among the means of retention and hiring, a fair level of remuneration stands out (34%) ahead of the balance between professional and personal life (23%). The risks that most worry managers are economic and financial (72.4%) and those related to the cost of energy (70.7%). The priority challenges are the ability to adapt to crises (84%) and energy and ecological transitions (76%).
Source: BFM TV
